Fire in Ogden II

This grabbed my attention because of all the color and reflection in the water. This fire was caused by kids playing with fireworks. -BN

Fire in Ogden

Technically I shot these next two photos on different days. It was another Ogden Fire next to the kayak park near the 24th street overpass. -BN

Product Shoot.

Shot some architectural photos of some cabinets for a friend of mine today. His company is growing rapidly and they do some amazing work. Check them out at Lignimago.com. They can work you up some very high quality cabinets and for a very good price. -BN

Migrant Child?

I shot some photos of my sisters family after they returned from camping. My sister wanted to show how dirty the kids had gotten. This photo reminds me of a famous Dorthea Lange photo of a poor, migrant mother and her children. The photo is called Migrant mother and you can view it here. This photo is certainly not in the same category and not even close to holding the same meaning. It's just interesting how iconic photos sometimes pop back into your head and influence your own photography. -BN

Hair's Johnny!

For some reason, I can't seem to keep my camera away from shooting guys with cool hair. Maybe it's the lack of good hair in my own reflection. The guy in the middle has appeared on my blog before and I ran into him again with a couple friends. I spend about $12 dollars managing my hair every two years when an electric razor goes bad. I can't imagine these guy's hair spray bill. They must have a sponsor. -BN

P.S. If you have been keeping track, today marks the first time in about a month that I have FINALLY caught up with the calendar on this photo-a-day thing. Woo Hoo!

Flag Ceremony

As mentioned in the previous post, our neighborhood hosts a flag ceremony at the local church. This year, kids brought out cardboard representations of many of the flags that have flown over this country. This one was brought out to represent the flag which was raised over the World Trade Center a few days following September 11, 2001. I remembered the feelings of unity and solidarity we had as a country and wondered why in the space of seven short years, those sentiments have so quickly disappeared.

Kids Parade

Every year, our neighborhood hosts a children's parade and flag ceremony at the local church. Until recently, we haven't really attended since our kids were too young to ride bikes. As we rolled up to the parking lot, it was full of kids and their decorated bikes, so full in fact, that I was amazed that there were no bike on bike collisions. This photo doesn't really show the amount of bike but I really like the clean backdrop. -BN

Summer Swim

My daughter was terrified of jumping off the diving board during her swim lessons but after a brief explanation of how much fun it would be, and after watching all of her fellow swimmers jump, she gave it a whirl. I am very proud of her.

Apartment Art

A row of apartments really caught my eye while riding the train to work. These are in Woods Cross.

Speed Skating 2

This is the US Men's Speed Skating team. In the lead is Apollo Anton Ohno who you may remember from 2002 Winter Olympics fame. I had a lot of fun shooting this assignment since the skaters were very comfortable with the camera and seem to have a great time hanging out with one another. Oh, and they are very serious about their skating. -BN

Speed Skating 1

Here is the US Women's Speed Skating team rounding a corner at the Utah Olympic Oval. I was hired to shoot action shots of them and casual portraits. You can check out a collection of ten photos at SportsShooter.com.

Kids at Home

I really love it when the kids play together, read together and treat each other with respect. I was trying to sleep in after a late night and I heard The Princess reading to the Monkey. I couldn't pass up this photo op. -BN

Ogden Cemetery Clean-Up

I had this assignment to cover the efforts of a group of volunteers, make that an army of volunteers, as they cleaned up and uncovered headstones at the Ogden Cemetery. As I was following them around, I thought I would try and find the headstone of one of my good friends who had died back in 2004. I remembered it was under a tree that sort of stood out and after walking to a couple different trees, I found it.

Scott Dee Estes.

Aside from my dad who often took me running when I was in my teens, Scott did more to inspire me to get out and run than anyone else. Ironically we never actually ran in the same race at the same time. Once we went down to the Moab Half-Marathon but he didn't make it into the lottery, I was injured and only ran the five miler while my wife ran the half marathon, her first. We made plans to run the Other Half in Moab that fall and before the date had arrived, he had passed on. To this day, that is one of the most memorable races I have ever completed. Thanks for the memories Scott, and God bless you. -BN

Ogden Arts Festival

I was asked to participate in the high school photography contest as a judge during the Ogden Arts Festival. Participating with me were lifelong artists Fred Hunger and Steve Stones. I felt more than qualified to judge the photography contest but as these two artists went around to the different sculptures and paintings, they were almost speaking a different language. It was fascinating. I think I was mostly lost when they started citing different styles from different artists whose names I didn't recognize. -BN

Ogden Fire

Here is a photo of the Ogden salvage yard fire that probably saturated your TV screen Thursday and Friday last week. The DNews published a bunch of photos on their gallery. For this photo, I climbed onto a warehouse with the help of a few Fresenius employees. Thanks guys.

ZauggFest 2

At age 8, this little dude seemed very well learned on the psychology of the male v. female brains. Here he was talking about how a woman's brain reacts like circuitry and how they are able to process many many things at once. The male brain, on the other hand, is like a warehouse of boxes. When they are thinking, they operate out of one box at a time, if you change subjects, they have to put one box away and get out another one. And like stacking boxes in a warehouse, it's work.

Not sure if his conclusions are accurate, any psychologists out there? -BN

ZauggFest 1

Our good friends the Zauggs are in town and our kids love hanging out, playing at the Treehouse, and taking goofy photos, except that little guy on his stomach. That's a tantrum not a pose. -BN

Crime Spree

A bunch of teenagers decided to rob a golf course and flee the scene with police on their tail, lose control and smash into this house. They didn't get away. -BN

Kids Love Sprinklers

Sprinklers must have a rhythm or make a sound that kids can hear but adults can't. Kinda like the pied piper. And it must say, "C'mon over and run in from of me, I dare you." -BN

Married in Perry

This may sound a bit fluffy but I really like posting wedding photos. I couldn't count the number of weddings I have been to but it seems like regardless of the mood I am in prior to walking in the door, I always leave uplifted. This was no exception. This bride and groom couldn't be happier. -BN

Wasatch Back Relay

This year was my fourth Wasatch Back Relay and what a party it was. We had a few more setbacks than in previous years with some injured and sick runners but the other team members really stepped up and made the difference. Nice work Amie, Amy and Dani.

If you're a runner, and even if your not, you should really consider running one of these relay races. It's a blast. Here is a shot I got around half way up the old Snowbasin Road. There is also a multimedia slide show at DeseretNews.com -BN

Fathers Day Tribute?

This year on Father's Day, my dad was in England and I was in Boise. Thus, the reason for the late post, and it could be a long one so put on some comfy slippers and nestle yourself in...

When I was younger, like high school age, all the discount membership warehouses were just coming of age and my dad was on them like flies on bovine. This is him at Costco. His frequent trips to these places made sense since a small army of children lived at our house and those huge bottles of ketchup lasted longer than anything from Albertson's. Well, I would always give him serious grief when he would arrive back at the house with a trailer full of two-gallon-Ranch-dressing bottles, several 'thirty-six' packs of tooth brushes, an outhouse sized shrink-wrapped package of cereal and other various HUGE containers. In those moments, he would very wisely shrug it off and deflect the sarcasm I was pouring on every chance I got.

I know many of you have heard the phrase, "The older I get, the smarter my parents become." I am certain, in those moments when we were asked to unload 12 gallons of milk from the bus, he was thinking, "just you wait."

Now, as I look back on those days with a well-used Costco card in my wallet, the meaning of life at membership warehouses has become much clearer. And I want to thank my dad for seeing the bigger picture, (and I mean BIGGER) and not giving in to my relentless complaining to purchase less ketchup with more money. -BN

Jared's Return II

Here is a photo composite of the driveway the next morning. That holds three cars side by side which is why I had to use three images. -BN

Jared's Return

My brother Jared returned from a mission and as always happens at these kinds of events, my siblings use it as and excuse to shoot goofy photos. It's in their DNA. -BN

Lake Lowell 6/15

Here is a muddy Lake Lowell outside of Nampa, maybe IN Nampa. Like the Faux Cowboy Town, this lake is in the middle of a bunch of circle irrigation, wheel lines, siphon tubes on miles and miles of farms. It was great to run past this lake the day before and even nicer to watch the kids having fun. -BN

Faux Cowboy Town II - 6/14

This is one of the cousins who happened to be standing in good light. -BN

Faux Cowboy Town

While in Boise, we visited this fake cowboy town that this farmer had created in on his property somewhere north east of Nampa. It was pretty interesting and very unexpected. When we entered the property, it just looked like any old farm with a house, some barns, some circle irrigation machines and a few dogs. Then behind this guys house was several little buildings that looked like an old west town. Apparently, he did this to make money buy renting it out to family parties and stuff like that. My wife loved it and so did the kids. Not bad Idaho.

These kids couldn't get enough of the rope/tire swing.

Another Trip - 6/12

Some of you have expressed concern that I haven't been posting once a day for the last few weeks. Sorry about that. It's just that in the past few weeks, we have been away on vacation so it was tougher to make time and find a connection. The next few photos are from a family reunion trip to Boise. Enjoy.

This is from a festival where they had a bunch of VERY expensive rides and this fun house full of mirrors.

Take the Train 6/11

I am a huge advocate of public transportation and since the train started running from my hometown to work, I have tried taking full advantage of it. The DNews just did a story about how the park-n-ride in Layton is always crowded, even though it just opened. Good news for the Frontrunner. -BN

Bowling (June 10)

Took a couple monkeys to the bowling alley and the little guy (age 2) was a bit small. He had a nice time trying to jam the balls back into the hole that returns them to you. It never worked. -BN

SLC Downtown (June 9th)

I liked the repetition and the lines in this one. The guy on the right only stood there for a second or two. I have another photo in mind like this so we'll see if I can pull it off in the next few months. -BN

Pappa in Town

My wife's grandpa is in town for a family reunion and I have to say, this is one impressive 80 something-year-old. He maintains two homes, several vehicles, (like 7, with a few motorcycles mixed in) drives all over the country and goes dancing 'till all hours of the night, four nights a week! If I feel one tenth that healthy at 80 something, I'll be a happy man.

Stellar Photo Day (Saturday the 7th)

So you might not think this is that great but if you put yourself in my shoes, you would know why I posted this. I will let you choose between these three options:

One, I shared a pizza with co-workers and could only eat two of the four pieces I paid for. This one was taunting me.

Two, I thought this looked an awful lot like a clock, showing 1:00.

Three, I was kinda desperate.

Four, All of the above.

Bear Lake 3 (Friday)

Marshmallows were a big hit. I would say that about 2% of them were actually cooked properly and eaten.

Bear Lake 2 (Thursday 6/5)

I am really happy that my Ai Ai is so comfortable with the camera that even though this fisheye is a mere inches from his face, he doesn't even react.

Bear Lake 1 (Wednesday 6/4)

We enjoyed a much needed vacation, thanks to some great friends Dipo and Upton. They have a few shares at a sweet cabin on the shores of Bear Lake, within walking distance of LeBeau's. It's great, although since spring hasn't quite let go of winter yet, it was a bit chilly at night. The next few posts are from this trip. -BN

Goode Ski Lake (Tuesday June 3)

There was a ribbon cutting today and if you know anything about ribbon cuttings, they can be quite boring, non-photographic events. Not so with this one, which I was actually looking forward to attending. This one marks the beginning of the beginning of what will eventually be a very cool water-ski lake within the Ogden City limits. Nice. -BN

Mr. Soccer (Monday)

I had the pleasure of going back to my high school Alma Mater today to shoot some photos of the first ever, Mr. Soccer, Colton Cook. Viewmont did well this year in soccer and Cook deserved this award. There is also a Audio Slide Show at DeseretNews.com Check it out when you have a minute. -BN

SLC Amateur

Here is your winner of the Salt Lake City Amateur golf championship.-BN

Shark Attack Triathlon (Saturday)

I covered the Shark Attack Triathlon at Crystal Springs and it seemed much more laid back than the other triathlons I have covered. I think I would attribute that to it's location in Honeyville, a quite farm town in northern Utah. It was one of the sports reporters first triathlon and he used it as a means of losing 50 pounds in the last year. Nice work Jody. -BN

Jo Packham - Friday's post

Here is Jo Packham of Ogden, a popular face on 25th Street. -BN

B-17 Flying Fortress - Take Two

While I was waiting for the second flight in this B-17 Flying Fortress, I watched as they started the engines for the first flight. As you might imagine, seeing this cloud of smoke as they started the engines made me a bit nervous, you know, as to the operating condition of the aircraft. I mean, if I owned a car that blew this smoke when it started, (and I HAVE) I would most likely sell it off quick. (Which I DID, for $300) I consoled myself by saying, "That's probably what they ALWAYS do when you start them." I'm sure emission standards weren't what they are today back in 1935. -BN

P.S. I know this is TWO photos of the day but in looking back through May, I missed a day in there somewhere.

B-17 Flying Fortress

I was asked to go cover the arrival of a WWII era B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. They were making a few flights and I was excited to find out that I would be on one of them. I used to be sort of a WWII history junkie, mostly the Pacific Theater with Pearl Harbor and the Battle at Midway. This plane was mostly used in Germany and some in Italy. Out of the 12,731 planes manufactured, there are maybe 16 still around and only 6 still flying. Here is a view of Ogden from the front gun turret. -BN

Demolition

Across the street from the DNews, there has been months and months of entertainment as the old ZCMI Mall has been torn down. I have seen some huge walls and columns fall which shakes our building. Once a crane operator dropped a huge part of the building on the crane he was driving. Scary. This is a photo I have been looking at for a few months now and decided to shoot it today. Who knows how long these colors will last. -BN

Ben Smith of Ben Lomond

This is the principal of Ben Lomond High, Ben Smith. He is beloved by his students and seemed to have a really good rapport with the teachers. I needed his help on a project I was working on and he was a huge benefit. Thanks principal Smith. -BN

Memorial Day

Memorial Day. I guess this one is very self explanatory. I used to use this day to reflect on the lives of those who have gone before. Today was different. I took a flag to my grandpa's grave, (he was a veteran) and took some photos of the nieces and nephews throwing those helicopter tree seed things in the air. I liked this photo better than those. -BN

Look Ma, No Training Wheels (Sunday)

As you can see from this photo, my daughter is hopping a bump in the cement while riding her scooter. That's pretty darned amazing. The amazing thing to me about this photo is not the peak action, but a subtle, missing element I didn't have to remove in Photoshop. Instead of keeping you in suspense, its the LACK of training wheels on the bike in the background. All afternoon Saturday, I ran around chasing a very cautious rookie cyclist. I am so proud that she was finally able put away the bicycle crutches. And I kept my integrity by removing that distracting element with a crescent wrench rather than Photoshop. -BN

The Pizzaria (Saturday)

One of our favorite places to eat cheap pizza is not from one of those national "five buck pizza" places, it's this locally owned place with a huge fish tank in the middle. Sometimes it's more work getting the kids to stop watching the saltwater wonders than dragging them to the dentist. Here is a photo of another kid with a similar problem. -BN

Dave Brown (Friday)

Not being from Ogden, I didn't know Dave Brown as a teacher but I haven't heard anything but great things from folks who have. Well, Friday was the last day of his 37 years and in his recollection, the worse day of all of them. I am glad I had the opportunity to get this shot on his last day. -BN

Ballet West Academy (Thursday)

One of my favorite things to shoot during the spring time is the Ballet West Academy's year end performances. These are kids ranging in age from maybe 5 to 18. Not being a huge follower of ballet, it seems these kids do just as well as the professionals. It's amazing. -BN